Grand Valley State University is one of nine universities and colleges across the country that are receiving recognition for serving Latino students' needs.
Excelencia in Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to Latino students' success. GVSU is part of the organization's first-year recipients of the Seal of Excelencia.
To earn the seal, universities and colleges must show evidence of success in practices pertaining to Excelencia in Education’s standards.
“Having a higher education is vital to succeed in today’s global economy,” said Deborah Santiago, CEO of Excelencia in Education, in a press release. “If institutions aren’t effectively serving our Latino students, we lose a vital source of talent for our workforce and civil leadership.”
Of the nine college and universities being recognized, GVSU is the only one from the Midwest.
Marlene Kowalski-Braun, the Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Student Support at GVSU, said the university has many programs that focus on Latino students' needs for the duration of their college experience, including the Latino Student Initiative.
“As a GVSU community, we think it's important to create the condition for all students to thrive,” she said. “What I hope this communicates about Grand Valley is our deep commitment to our values of inclusion and community.”
A ceremony will be held in Washington D.C. on Thursday, June 20th.
